Which self is writing?

Sounds weird, but it's about the layers

Which self is the self writing your essays and other first-person accounts? Chances are, it changes, depending on what you’re writing. But, most importantly, perhaps, is the idea that there is probably not just one you writing, and the challenge, then, is to figure out which selves are writing. In memoir for example, you want to generally write from the wise-present-day-self. But, in an essay, maybe it’s part wise-present-day-self and part your last-week-at-work-self. It’s subtle but it’s a thing, to be sure.

Getting too far out? I hear you. Come at it this way: if you’re writing an essay that taps on your professional expertise, you are writing as the professional self. But, if you include, say, something about what inspired you to enter that field, perhaps you’re also then remembering and writing as you-the-daughter or you-the-student. Or, maybe your present-self is the narrator, and your student-self is driving the action. You get the idea.

So, then, here’s the prompt. Write a short essay about anything that matters to you right now. Then, go back and decide which self or selves are writing it. Then, go back and begin to revise, and see what 1-2 other selves you can layer in during revision. Maybe that means adding a part drawn from your activist-self, your manager-self, your parent-self, your critical-self, your friend-self, or even you innermost-secret-self. Let’s try.